Turf Over Land In the world of high school running, there are two types of runners: cross country runners and track runners. I am both, as I have been in cross country since seventh grade and track since first grade. I know how it feels to train and compete in both, and I have come to a conclusion that track & field is way better than cross country. In cross country, the season is much longer than track. To non-runners, the season is about 3 months long. However, in the eye of a runner, summer training makes it even longer by at least 2 months! Summer practices are usually Monday through Saturday for about 5 hours. I don’t think people want to wake up at 7:30 in the morning to go on a long run and do weight training after. The track season is much shorter with shorter practices. For distance runners, the pace is much faster than in cross country, but the distance is shorter. For Sprinters and Hurdlers, like me, workouts are much shorter and only Monday through Friday. As far as the length of meets, track meets are longer than cross country meets, track meets have many more events than cross country meets. In my opinion, placing in track is easier than placing in cross country, because in track meets there are only 9 runners per heat, and usually there are 2 to 4 heats. On the other hand, cross country has from 200 to as much as 700 people racing at the same time! Imagine that, running with 700 people, cluttered and being shoved and pushed while running. Not the best feeling in the world. Sometimes you get “spiked”, other runners tend to kick you or step on you with their spikes. Usually runners use plastic spikes, but there are some runners that use metal spikes, and at times they use it in a way to help them cheat, by “spiking” ... ... middle of paper ... ...t used to running long distances. It’ll take even longer for a person to get used to racing long distances. Running/jogging long distances and actually racing long distances are two totally different things. Cross country also requires more energy than track. In track you get recovery time in between your races, but in cross country you run the 3.1 miles altogether with no breaks. In conclusion, cross country is way more inferior to track & field. There are many reasons why, that is if you have the same opinion as mine. Truly if I wouldn’t think that cross country is pre-season training for track, I would probably care less about it or be less committed to it. Works Cited Lovetorun17. “Track vs. Cross Country (yes, there is a BIG difference!).” October 24, 2012. http://runfreeforever.wordpress.com/2012/10/24/track-vs-cross-country-yes-there-is-a-big-difference/
One factor which is probably significant is that three weeks before the race, during an easy run the day after an excellent 41-mile training run, I injured a calf muscle. I used electronic stimulation to promote healing, and ran very little during the three weeks preceding the race. This area bothered me frequently during the race, feeling as if it wanted to cramp.
Cross country is not a hard sport, contrary to popular belief. People often think that you have to be born with the stamina needed for running four or five miles at a time. There are so many different things people think is necessary, like running sprints, heavy miles or lifting weights and building strength, but in reality these things are minor. Although being physically fit is idealistic, it is not the most important thing needed to be successful because having a well-balanced, nutritious diet, pacing yourself and setting a strategy, and having the right positive attitude can put you in the shape to be a successful cross country runner.
“Success isn’t given. It is earned. On the track, on the field, in the gym. With blood, sweat, and the occasional tear”. Track and Field is one of the oldest sports invented. Track involved athletes competing in numerous events against one another to see who’s the best. With track and field comes misconceptions of the sport, which leads to people making stereotypes for the track athletes. A stereotype is a widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing. A misconception is a view or opinion that is incorrect because it is based on faulty thinking or understanding. Many people have misconceptions of track and field, because many don’t see it as a sport, or believe it is just running. Once someone brings up
One sport you may not have considered for your High School activities is track. Track is a sport with an array of benefits for your body. People from all over the world participate in many running events including sprinting, middle distances, long distances, relay races, hurdles, steeple chasing, and race walking. I will go into more detail under the subject of sprinting a bit later. First, I will speak to you about the preparation it takes in order to get into track sprinting shape.
I was so excited to start my new journey in school. I knew that being involved in a sport was going to help me become more confident. Running has taught me how to achieve my goals, be tough; both physically and mentally, and appreciate life. The first week of cross country was difficult.
My first week of school, everyone encouraged me to join a club or a team. Of course I did not want to, until I heard we had a track team, and even then I did not know if I wanted to pursue it. In my mind, debating if I should dedicate myself to track was a hard decision. I was about to not only give this sport my time but also nothing but
First, a trip to the track takes longer than a street race, since the closest track in the southwest suburbs of Chicago is an hour away. Going to the track is a hassle versus the get set, ready, go drag race down the street. Simply, street racing is nearby and does not disturb anyone as the contest usually takes place in the dead of the night or in the wee hours of the morning. Secondly, legal racing at a circuit track costs hundreds of dollars. Drag strips are shorter, most commonly a quarter of a mile, than the longer circuit tracks, but the entrance fee is about twenty dollars, which adds up over repeated visits. On the other hand, street racing is free and in 20 seconds, a winner emerges from the duo. Lastly, racing at a track puts enormous stress on a car. By driving fast for extended periods on a track, consider the brakes and tires shot since both will need replacement from tracking over 200 miles per hour. In addition, launching a car from a dead stop at a track versus from a rolling start, as in street racing, is more difficult and can easily ruin the car. Although street racing is not as organized as track racing, impromptu racing has the advantages of availability, affordability, and economic
Cross country and track to an outsider, they can only be seen as running. Well, to a student of the sport they are both so much more. Runners are gathered to both, but there are plenty of variations between the two. Although I love both of these sports, if I had to side with one, I would choose track. These can commonly be seen in training, races, and people.
My sophomore year had begun and I wasn't sure whether or not I was going to do track this year. Last year I played football in the fall and soccer in the spring. Not really enjoying it, the decision was made to play " real futbol" (soccer) in the fall, leaving the spring sports season open. My friend kept telling me how fun track was, so I decided to give it a try.
If asked, most people could tell you that the Iditarod is a dog race in Alaska, and maybe some could even tell you that it started with a dog team carrying a polio vaccine to Nome in a blizzard, but most couldn't tell you what the Fur Rendezvous or the Open North American are. That’s because it’s a completely different category of racing that no one really knows about. Sprint racing is shorter, faster, and in my biased opinion more exciting. My opinion is biased because I run sprint races. My parents have run, and won the Open North American, and “Fur Rondy”. Sprint races vary in length and size of the teams. From small four dog teams of sixty pound dogs built like Usain Bolt who sprint for four to five miles, to thirty mile races with teams of sixteen to twenty four dogs that are built with lanky muscle and heads that won’t
Track and cross country are both running sports with many similarities. Both sports are team sports, but can be an individual sport too. There can be harsh weather conditions during these sports seasons. Track and cross country both use spikes (a type of shoe) which help them grip to the ground while running. Practices and workouts are pretty similar. The competitions in track and cross country are called meets and are a lot of fun. Some people wouldn’t expect track and cross country to have a lot of similarities.
Another concept I have learned from my participation in running is teamwork. No matter how hard we try, we cannot live our lives without others' help or without helping others. We must work together to succeed on the road ahead. This is the essence of teamwork. I know that even my personal success in cross-country and track is not solely mine. I know that my three district titles, one in cross country and two in track, in the 800 meter and 1600 meter runs, could not have been accomplished without my team's unequivocal support and for that, I thank them.
This sport takes place in autumn, when the leaves just begin to undress out of their green dresses and into their red, orange, and yellow ones. It is more favorable for athletes to compete in a fall sport due to the fact the temperatures are much cooler. Cross country consists of one event, running. Every athlete on the team trains to race together, but is separated by gender. Workouts for the whole team are the same and
After a little while, I knew It was practice. Then we practiced sprints. I was already very tired. When were we ever going to race?